Why Osimhen deal saw everyone profit, regardless of regrets

So many question marks remain over how much Osimhen actually cost Napoli when they signed him from LOSC in 2022. The biggest alarm bells come from the fact that De Laurentiis, who is usually so tight-lipped when it comes to the money he spends, gave suspiciously precise details to the media.

“It is a fee close to €80m. That is €70m payable over five years and €10m in bonuses if certain results are achieved. Lille took four players from us, Karnezis, Manzo, Palmieri and Liguori. They are two separate operations.”

Those four players were valued for the purposes of this deal at a total of €20m, which is ludicrous if you consider that three were youth team figures who never even got to wear the Lille jersey, going out on loan and eventually getting their contracts terminated early for free, and the other was a second choice goalkeeper.

So let’s say that being entirely generous, Osimhen cost Napoli €50m in 2022. That would make his sale for €75m a bargain for them. Could they have earned more from his exit earlier? Absolutely. Still, the regrets are minimal.

That’s because Osimhen can’t be entirely content with the way things panned out either. If he saw Napoli as a mere stepping stone to bigger things, then why force his way out in 2024 by refusing to play for them again, and then end up at Galatasaray? In no meaningful way could it be considered a step up in his career. Both clubs are in the Champions League, have insanely passionate supporters, and ensure vast merchandising sales.

Let us not forget that he only went to Istanbul because all the Premier League clubs, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and the others refused to meet the release clause in the summer of 2024. The Turkish transfer window was the only one remaining open and a loan his sole chance of playing for the next six months.

Osimhen kissed the badge and signed the contract to 2029, but I’d be honestly surprised to see him still wearing that shirt this time next year. He had no reason to force his way out of Napoli like that and is always looking on the horizon for bigger and better things. You know he wants the Premier League eventually, it’s just finding a club prepared to pay up for him.

I even saw today some suggesting Osimhen made a sacrifice by turning down the eye-watering sums from Al-Hilal. As if we could just ignore that his contract with Galatasaray is worth €21m per season including a loyalty bonus and €5m in image rights – so now we know why De Laurentiis always makes sure Napoli own those, if they are worth that much. Victor is hardly going to starve on those wages.

Ultimately, everyone came out of this with their pockets lined and feeling happy. For now. There’s a reason Napoli insisted on the penalty to ensure Osimhen cannot be sold to another Italian club within two years. They know his passion for a place rarely lasts for long.